Friday, August 12, 2011

Bert and Ernie: A Teachable Moment

Change.org has started a campaign to encourage the makers of the Muppets to have Bert and Ernie get married. It would be a teachable moment for young children that they think should not be wasted. I agree there may be a teachable moment here that we shouldn’t let go to waste. But what should we teach?

First, by not letting Bert and Ernie get married and letting them remain friends, we can reinforce the idea that two men can have a relationship without it having to be sexualized. Friendship is a human good that we should nourish.

Second, we can avoid letting the teachable moment go to waste by letting Bert and Ernie be best men at the marriage between Kermit and Miss Piggy. It’s long past time for those two sweethearts to tie the knot.

In one show we can affirm to children the value of friendship, affirm that not all relationships need to be sexualized, and affirm that marriage is between a male and a female … even if, in this case, one is a pig and the other a frog.